tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152203302195730111.post7384092811597383997..comments2023-06-13T10:21:43.568+01:00Comments on Children of our World: Children's Rights and Business Principles: UK Parliamentary LaunchCatherine Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12586331807428817831noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152203302195730111.post-74473910296708116812012-09-15T13:04:46.568+01:002012-09-15T13:04:46.568+01:00Hi Julia,
You're welcome! I am glad to be abl...Hi Julia,<br /><br />You're welcome! I am glad to be able to help.<br /><br />Thank you for your answers about Brazil. It was interesting to learn more about the situation there. I hope your work with your NGO goes well.<br /><br />Best wishes,<br />CatherineCatherine Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12586331807428817831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152203302195730111.post-26594777947291256782012-09-14T12:42:50.522+01:002012-09-14T12:42:50.522+01:00Catherine,
thank you so much for the amazing exp...Catherine, <br /><br />thank you so much for the amazing explanation and for the nice tips! <br />You asked me if there the brazilian government is trying to regulate marketing aimed for children. <br />Despite some little efforts in this way, I can tell you that the brazilian government don't care about that. <br />We have some law projects of the senate that try to regulate advertising for children, but the principal one, that was created in 2001, still there for votation, because only a few people in government worry's about that. <br />The truth is that the government 'respect' business more than population. Is more intersting to government to protect the business and not desagree with it; than is to protect the population. Despite protecting population brings a true social return, protecting the business brings a economic return.<br /><br />You asked me if there any group concerned with this. In Brazil, we have some institutions (eg: CONAR) that are called publicity self-regulation. But it are not taken seriously because they only care about the business, and just a little about the human and children's rights. We have also an institution (PROCON) that try to fiscalize the marketing and make a lot of denounces for the government. And only a few works out.<br />For example, PROCON made a denounces that Mc Donald's were using toys to promote their unhealthy food for the children. They won the process and the Mc Donald's pay something like 1.5 milion dolars as indenization, but didn't stop selling the toys. <br />It's really hard to make something work here in Brazil, particularly when the government cares so much about getting rich (not for the country, but for each one who is inside the govern).<br /><br />Thank you very much for the references and everything! <br />Wish you the best,<br />Julia<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152203302195730111.post-56475777673056898772012-09-14T08:12:04.260+01:002012-09-14T08:12:04.260+01:00(I am continuing from the comment above!)
You as...(I am continuing from the comment above!)<br /><br /><br />You asked how to complain about businesses which are violating children's rights in Brazil, and who you should talk with about this. You mentioned contacting UNICEF or Save the Children. I suppose you could try this, but I am not sure what the result would be. The Principles do not have a monitoring or reporting mechanism, so it seems to me that there is no specific body to submit complaints to if a business does not follow the Principles. Are there any local or national groups or authorities that would be concerned with this? <br /><br />The Human Rights Watch article, which I quoted from above, also states:<br />"The Children's Rights and Business Principles are a significant development... But experience suggests that they will need to be matched by sustained public, civil society and media scrutiny of corporate practice, alongside appropriate political and legal reforms, if they are to deliver real and lasting change to children around the world."<br />Reputation is very important to businesses, so scrutiny can have an impact on their practices. It sounds like your NGO is already doing work in this area.<br />Another blog article on the Principles can be found here: http://foreignpolicyblogs.com/2012/04/12/childrens-rights-business-principle/<br />The author of that article says that "In order for the Principles to be effective and enhance existing laws and programs, local communities, governments, international community and the media will all have to play a role in the protection of children’s rights."<br />It might be worth you leaving a comment on this blog, as the author may know more about the issues surrounding the Principles than I do.<br /><br />Finally, you asked what the initiative thinks about general advertising for children. In answer to this, I would refer you to UNICEF's workbook again. (http://www.unicef.org/csr/css/CSR_Workbook_A4_LR_low_res.pdf) Chapter 4 is dedicated to this issue. Page 71 gives an overview as to why marketing and advertising aimed at children are issues and page 72 gives ideas that businesses can use, to make sure that their marketing and advertising practices do not harm children. <br /><br /> It may also be of interest to you that the Committee on the Rights of the Child is drafting a General Comment on Child Rights and the Business Sector (See more here: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/callsubmissionsCRC_BusinessSector.htm)<br /><br /><br />I hope this has helped with your questions. Marketing and advertising aimed at children present many problems, so it is great to hear that your NGO is looking at the bad impact it has.<br /><br />Wishing you all the best with this work,<br />CatherineCatherine Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12586331807428817831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152203302195730111.post-20919992188097693252012-09-14T08:11:09.509+01:002012-09-14T08:11:09.509+01:00Hi Julia,
Thank you for your comments. I am glad ...Hi Julia,<br /><br />Thank you for your comments. I am glad you found my post useful. I only know a little about the Children's Rights and Business Principles, but I will try to help as much as I can with your questions.<br /><br />Firstly, it is important to understand that the Principles have not established a new legal framework. The UN Global Compact, one of the sponsoring organisations of the Principles, has produced the following presentation. If you look at slide 12, you will see what the purposes of the Principles are:<br />http://www.unglobalcompact.org/docs/issues_doc/supply_chain/Childrens_Rights_Supply_Chain_Webinar_Presentation.pdf<br />According to the presentation, some of the purposes of The Principles are to "present a comprehensive and holistic vision" and "serve as a unifying framework and reference point". This means that the Principles provide guidance to businesses on good practices that respect children's rights. However, businesses are not obliged to follow the Principles.<br /><br />You asked how the sponsoring organisations will make sure that businesses are not using advertising or marketing which will have a bad impact on children. Businesses are encouraged to voluntarily follow the Principles, but the sponsoring organisations do not have the power to make sure that businesses do this. This was an issue that the organisation Human Rights Watch (http://www.hrw.org/) picked up on. In one of their articles, they stated:<br />"While these elements of the initiative are positive, it is less clear how the principles will be translated into substantive changes in corporate behaviour... there is no requirement on those participating companies to submit to independent monitoring, and there are no penalties proposed for any company that endorses the principles but then acts in ways that contradict them." <br />Human Rights Watch pointed out that the Principles do not have an enforcement mechanism. <br />(The whole article is here: http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/03/15/can-business-uphold-childrens-rights)<br /><br />So, basically, there is not a framework for the sponsoring organisations to make sure that businesses are complying with Principle 6 (or any of the other Principles).<br /><br />You asked if there would be any financial incentive for businesses to follow Principle 6, or if there will be any obligations for governments to fiscalise this. There are no such obligations on governments. A government may decide to use the Principles to inform its policies and legislation on business and children's rights (which, I think, would be ideal!). A government coud decide to offer financial incentives for businesses to follow Principle 6. <br />The UN Global Compact has produced a "Frequently Asked Questions" document on the Principles. Section D is about implementation. Paragraph three under section D explains how governments can assist with the implementation of the Principles:<br />http://www.unglobalcompact.org/docs/issues_doc/human_rights/CRBP/FAQ.pdf<br /><br />Businesses are encouraged to adopt the Principles, but ultimate responsibility for children's rights lies with the state. UNICEF has produced a workbook, to help businesses implement the Principles. You can download it here: http://www.unicef.org/csr/335.htm <br />Chapter four is about responsible marketing and advertising. The workbook even states:<br />"Legally enforceable regulations must be followed to ensure the highest level of protection of children from targeted marketing and advertising."<br />So, ideally, the state would regulate marketing and advertising aimed at children. <br />I am not familiar with Brazil's laws. Has the government tried to regulate this in any way? <br />Catherine Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12586331807428817831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152203302195730111.post-77271256480599400422012-09-13T14:57:34.568+01:002012-09-13T14:57:34.568+01:00Hi Catherine, you're fast!
First, Sorry for t...Hi Catherine, you're fast! <br />First, Sorry for the really bad english!<br />Second, thanks a lot for your atention, I'm looking forward for your answer, but I have two more question, if that's ok: <br /><br />In Brazil, if we have a denounces to make against some business that is violating children's rights, who we can talk with? Unicef? Save the Children? <br /><br />And what the initiative thinks about general advertising for children?<br /><br />Thank you very much,<br />Julia Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152203302195730111.post-62553036940918676702012-09-13T08:29:43.199+01:002012-09-13T08:29:43.199+01:00Hi Julia,
Thank you so much for your comment and ...Hi Julia,<br /><br />Thank you so much for your comment and for your excellent questions!<br /><br />I have just seen your comment now, and unfortunately have to go to work right now, but I will write a proper reply to you this evening and will comment here.<br /><br />Your NGO sounds like it is doing great work!<br /><br />Best regards,<br />CatherineCatherine Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12586331807428817831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9152203302195730111.post-58281553601738855462012-09-12T15:56:31.952+01:002012-09-12T15:56:31.952+01:00Hello Catherine,
Good Morning,
My name is Jul...Hello Catherine, <br /><br />Good Morning,<br /><br /> <br />My name is Julia Fagundes I am 19 years old, I am from Brazil.<br /><br />I've noticed that you are very informed of the Children's rights and business practice initiative. I find informations in your blog that i couldn't find enywere!<br />So I was hopping you can help me with that issue...<br /><br />I'm working in an NGO on a project linked with the iniciative Children's Rights and Business Principles.<br />My NGO discuss the bad impact of advertising on children. <br /> <br />The 6th Principle is exactly about the relation business marketing - children.<br />My question is: how does the sponsoring organizations will make sure that the business is not using bad advertising for the children, or using marketing to promote a unhealthy food, or even to promote a life style through some product that the children doesen't even need, but start to think he/her need's it just because they don't have any critical sense.<br />In my opinion, every advertising aimed for children should be prohibited, but unfotunately, in Brazil, it is not.<br />I just want to undestand how the 6th Principle of the Children's Right and Business Principles will work.<br />Will there be any finantial incentive for the business? Or some obligation for the government to fiscalize that?<br /> <br />Thank you for your atention, I am wating the answer.<br /> <br />Julia FagundesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com